Exhibition Mixed Case

2019 was an outstanding vintage in Bordeaux, providing wines with great density and structure as well as freshness. Delicious now, this will improve with time.

A 'baby Barbaresco' courtesy of Enrico Dellapiana. This highly fragrant, vibrant expression of nebbiolo seduced our Wine Champions panel with its ‘elegant rose-petal perfume’ and ‘refined, pretty palate.’ Made from young vines in Barbaresco-certified vineyards, it's a fantastic bargain. Prestigiously certified Sistema Qualità Nazionale di Produzione Integrata (SQNPI), Rizzi are committed to working as sustainably as possible, from farming without irrigation, reusing water from the cellar and planning to collect rainwater, installing 50kw of solar panels so far, to moving toward organic farming. Growing cover crops encourages pollinators, and compost comes from their own vineyard waste and grape skins, all helping to maintain good soil structure. The planting of cypress and olive trees has the benefit of boosting biodiversity too, with the added bonus of delicious olive oil at the end.

Vicky Mareque Bueno compares Spain's Rías Baixas region to the UK due to the fact that we both receive a lot of rainfall! However, Galicia also gets ample sunshine that ripens the flinty, mineral albariño grape to perfection. A pristine example of albariño from the country's best region for the grape. This dry white has peachy fruit, with no oak, and is an excellent expression of modern Spanish white winemaking, a joy to sip on its own, and it also has a natural affinity with seafood like the local pulpo a la gallego, tender octopus sliced and simply sprinkled with sea salt, smokled paprika with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice.

Pieropan make this Soave Classico exclusively for us, with 80% garganega from Foscarino, a vineyard located in the west of the Soave Classico area, and 20% trebbiano di Soave from the famous Calvarino vineyard, all farmed organically. A dry, lemony and crisp Italian white with sage, chamomile flowers, almond and notes of oyster shell on the finish. This has the precision and focus which are hallmarks of the Pieropan approach.

Bright, fresh and mineral Chablis made for us by Jean-Marc Brocard. Entirely fermented in stainless steel to preserve purity of fruit, this is kept on its yeast lees in tank for six months to fill out the mid-palate. Scented with white blossom, this has flavours of green apple and lemon, and a seashell minerality.

2024 is a vintage that is bright and energetic, with purity of red berried fruits and strawberries. A cooler vintage than 2023 with a violet perfume and black pepper spice combined with powdery tannins. A perfect any day drinking wine that will pair wonderfully with pizza, tomato based pasta dishes or drink on its own.